New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-12
CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES.

THE sELFREvELATIoN OF GSp; by snH Tbe.
HARRs. DIP LID Prof sy OF syf sso Charles
scribner's Sons.
One of the first aud most obvious merits OIL this
elaborate work Is its close adaptation to the speca
needs Of our time. The evidences Ut Chrisuani'y,
"a Dr. Harris we'll says must be often examined
anew, not because the old truths change, but De-
cause the power or the readiness OF man 10 app,o
bend them varies with the changes IN do eonui
ton, opinions and knowledge. new diseases 10
ouire new remedies. The progress OF ideas brings
nm new philosophical problems, new sceptlcaI
difficulties and these cannot be solved by the oid
anoIoqists whose argument often rests upon
assumptions which modern disbelief most siren
uously denies Moreover, the progress OF kn'wi-
edge while il creates fresh doubts, also furnishes
on the other hand fresh evidence OF the existence
of God and tests of the reality OF his VI
Himself in the human consciousness ana III nun'an
affairs Hence in this discrimination Oh tho eSi-
dences of Gods revels ton, the learned autn"r con-
stantly bears il mind the character OF the iatesV
phases of error, the points uron which Chrlsiahi'y
Is now most frequently assailed, the tendency oi
contemporary thought, the line OF argument most
accordant with current ideas, the particular
theories of those opponents of Christianity wno
seem to have best won the popular ear, ana the
trae way of meeting the objections OF the Time
without surrcndering any of the real dcfences oil
truth. In the prosecution of this scheme ne SHOWS
n wide and precise knowledge of the obstacles 70
be encountered, and a-slncularly fine appreciation
of the drifts of general opinion Even IL MS "oih
had no higher merit, it would be valuable merely
as an EXPOSITION Of the present state Oh religion
and religious philosophy. But Christians Oh III
denominations, however some may dissent mere ana
there from certain of its statements VIII weicome
IL as one of the most forcible works on tho
evidences that recent years have PRODUCED ana
work especially effective because 1t meets living
directors on their own ground and presents tne
case against them with point and completeness
Dr. Harris starts with the position that mans
knowledge of God begins IN experience. 1t exists
IN mis- implicit consciousness spontaneous feel
ing and belief before ne has defined it in thought
or asked for Sevdence of its truth But this pre-
supposes Gods revelation of himself to man. Man
can never como to the knowledge of
God unless, by spmo action or influence,
mediate or immediate. on the man. Dou
has presented himself in his consciousness
As to the method Of revelation, the right defence
of Christina theism must show further that uou
reveals Himself primarily in historical action by
what He does this including His action on tho In
diyidual consciousness, His acts in the courses OF
nature aud of human history, and the revelation
recorded in the Bible Man must receive tue rev
citation and appIehend, interpret aud verify 1t IN
his own thought The three factors i'll the knowl-
edge of God are Divine revelation religious expert
ence and rational thought; and tho three must DO
taken alphabetically if we would avoid the errors
to which each is likely to lead in isolation. These
positions are developed in the first part OIL the
work In the three remaining parts DE- Harris
considers other revelations of God by which we
may Worthy spontaneous belief and correct ana
enlarge the IDEA of God obtained from that belief
py thou ght 1. GOD reveals himself in the universe
as the absolute being in this section tho author
combats tho various -helstic theories atheism,
pJsitlvism. Speucerian agnosticlsn, panthelsm
materislism. 2. God reveals himself in the uni
verse as personal spirit, through the constitution
AMI course of nature and the constitution aud MS
tory of man here the argument trayerses dill
culties raised by physical science. the doctrine OF
evolution and the problem of evil and reviews
some of the reasoninGs of the older apoogists- ..
Finally, God reveals himself in Christ as the
Redeemer of man from sin-a position which IN
udes with mu oh else the question OF miracles